Why Tech Prices Are Rising in Australia Right Now

Tech prices are rising in Australia because AI data centres are buying up the world's memory chips, and almost every device you own has memory inside it. Laptops have been hit hardest, then gaming consoles, with phones starting to feel it too.

If you are trying to decide whether to buy that laptop or console now or hold off for Black Friday, this guide gives you a simple way to choose. No price predictions. Just a plan that takes five minutes.

"When prices are climbing, a sale is not always a bargain. It might just take you back to last month's price. So I never start with the discount. I start with the number I'm happy to pay, write it down, and let that decide for me."

- Joey Krosch, Founder of FindFetcher

Why Are Tech Prices Rising in Australia in 2026?

The short answer is memory. Laptops, phones, consoles and TVs all have memory chips inside. AI data centres need huge amounts of the same chips, so there is less to go around and the price of memory has climbed.

JB Hi-Fi spelled it out at its annual general meeting on Thursday 29 October 2026. Group CEO Nick Wells said that in computers JB Hi-Fi has seen "circa 50 per cent price rises over the last six months", while gaming prices are up about 10 to 20 per cent, because AI data centres are pulling the supply of memory.[132] He added that rises are starting to show up "a little bit" in mobile phones.

The official numbers back this up. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the CPI rose 4.3% in the 12 months to September 2026, and that games, toys and hobbies rose 15.5%, driven by price increases in memory and storage components being passed on to consumers.[133]

You can see it in PC parts too. DDR5 32GB kit prices rose roughly 38% in Australia between early 2025 and January 2026 as AI data-centre demand tightened consumer memory supply.[123] If you build or upgrade your own PC, our PC parts price tracker guide covers GPUs, RAM and SSDs in more detail.

The rule of thumb is simple: the more memory a product needs, the bigger the jump. Wells made that point himself: where memory is a bigger part of what a device costs to make, the rise is bigger.

Will Tech Prices Come Down Again?

Honestly, nobody knows, and you should be wary of anyone who says they do. At the same AGM, Wells said he would like to think the retailer is through the vast majority of the price increases, but that there might be a little more to come in computing. He also said stock had been hard to get over the last six months, and that supply now looks like it is improving.

That is a retailer's view, not a promise. Memory prices depend on how fast AI data centres keep buying, and that can change quickly. So this guide does not tell you prices will fall or rise from here. It gives you a way to decide that works either way: know your number, and buy when the price meets it.

Which Products Are Rising Fastest?

Here is what the evidence says right now, category by category. Where nobody has published a figure, we say so rather than guess.

Product	What we know	What it means for you
Laptops and desktop PCs	JB Hi-Fi: about 50% higher over six months	Biggest jump. Set a firm target price before any sale.
Gaming consoles	JB Hi-Fi: about 10 to 20% higher. ABS: games, toys and hobbies up 15.5% in a year	Already up. A "deal" may only undo part of the rise.
PC memory (RAM)	DDR5 kits up roughly 38% from early 2025 to January 2026	Upgrades cost more. Watch the exact kit you need.
Mobile phones	JB Hi-Fi: rises now coming through "a little bit"	Early stage. Worth watching, no need to panic.
TVs and home appliances	Not named in the JB Hi-Fi or ABS comments	No clear memory-driven jump reported. Normal sale timing still applies.

For TVs, the usual calendar still matters more than chip prices. Our guide on when TVs go on sale in Australia walks through the timing.

Should You Buy Now or Wait for Black Friday?

Black Friday is on Friday 27 November 2026, with Cyber Monday after it. It is tempting to wait for it. But when prices have been rising, waiting can work out either way, and nobody can tell you which way for sure.

So instead of trying to predict the market, answer three questions.

1. Do you need it now? If your laptop has died and you need it for work or school, waiting four weeks to maybe save a bit is rarely worth it. Buy the model that does the job, not the one with the most memory you will never use.

2. What price would you be happy to pay? This is the important one. Pick a number before you look at any sale. Use the price you paid last time, or the lowest price you have seen in the last few months, as a starting point. Our price history tracker guide shows how to find that number in a couple of minutes.

3. Can you wait without stress? If yes, set your target price and let it come to you. If the price lands there before Black Friday, buy then. If it lands during the sale, buy then. If it never gets there, you have not overpaid.

Here is the same idea as a quick guide:

Your situation	What to do
Need it this week	Buy now. Pick the model that fits your actual needs.
Can wait, price is rising in this category	Set your price line now and buy when it is hit, sale or not.
Can wait, price looks steady	Waiting for Black Friday is reasonable. Still set a price line.
Just want it, no rush	Set a price line and forget about it until it is hit.

The key point: in a rising category, a Black Friday discount is not the same as a discount on a steady one. A 20% "sale" on a laptop that went up 50% this year may still cost more than it did in autumn. Price matters to almost everyone. 84% of Australian shoppers say price is the single biggest factor when they choose where to buy.[005] So make the price your rule, not the sale banner.

How Do You Know a Sale Price Is Real?

Rising prices make fake discounts easier to hide. A store can lift the "was" price, then cut it back and call it a sale. Two quick checks help:

Compare against the last few months, not last week. If the "sale" price is the same as the normal price in winter, it is not much of a deal.
Check more than one store. The same laptop can sit at different prices at JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Amazon and the brand's own site on the same day.

Our guide on how to check if a sale is real in Australia goes through this step by step, and our Black Friday price drops guide shows how to spot the real ones during the sale itself.

How Do You Stop Checking Prices Every Day?

Checking five store pages every morning is exactly the kind of job you should not be doing yourself. It eats time, and you still miss the day the price drops.

A better way is to set it once:

Describe the product in plain English, for example "PS5 Slim under $650" or "14-inch laptop with 16GB RAM under $1,400". These are example prices, so use your own number.
Set the price you would actually pay.
Let FindFetcher check Australian stores every day and email you when it finds a match.

That is the whole job. You stop refreshing pages, and you only hear about it when your price turns up. FindFetcher plans start at $4 a month, and you can try it free for 14 days.

If you are shopping for a console specifically, our gaming console price tracker guide covers PS5, Xbox and Switch. For phones, see whether the iPhone 17 price will drop. For a wider plan across every kind of gadget, read the cheapest way to buy tech in Australia and our guide to saving money on electronics. You can also browse everything we track on the retail category page.

The Simple Rule for Tech Prices in 2026

Prices for laptops, consoles and anything heavy on memory have gone up, and nobody knows for sure where they go next. You do not need to know. You only need to know your number.

Need it now? Buy what does the job.
Can wait? Set your price line, then let the price come to you.
Tempted by a sale? Check it against your number, not the "was" price.

Prices and availability change often. Check the retailer's own website before you buy.

By Joey Krosch, Founder of FindFetcher.

Hero image: Photo by Marcial Comeron on Pexels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will RAM and memory prices come down in Australia?

Nobody can promise that. JB Hi-Fi's CEO said in late October 2026 that he would like to think most of the price rises are through, but that there might be a little more to come in computing. Treat any forecast as a guess. Set the price you are happy to pay and let an alert tell you if it gets there.

Are gaming consoles going up in price again?

Console prices have already risen. JB Hi-Fi said gaming prices are up around 10 to 20% over the last six months, and the ABS recorded games, toys and hobbies up 15.5% in the year to September 2026. Whether they rise again depends on memory supply, so watch the exact console you want rather than guessing.

Is Black Friday worth waiting for if I need a new laptop?

Only if you can genuinely wait. Laptops have had the biggest rises, so a Black Friday discount may only take the price back to where it was earlier in the year. Decide your target price first. If the sale hits it, buy. If it does not, you have lost nothing by setting the number.

Are second-hand tech prices rising too?

We have not seen reliable Australian figures on this, so we will not guess. When new prices rise, it makes sense to check recent sold prices for the used version too. Look at what the item actually sold for, not the asking price, before you decide new or used.

Why are games and consoles more expensive in the CPI?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said the 15.5% rise in games, toys and hobbies in the year to September 2026 was driven by price increases in memory and storage components being passed on to consumers. Consoles and gaming gear use a lot of memory, so they feel it more.